exhume

verb

ex·​hume ig-ˈzüm How to pronounce exhume (audio)
igz-ˈyüm,
iks-ˈ(h)yüm How to pronounce exhume (audio)
exhumed; exhuming

transitive verb

1
: disinter
exhume a body
2
: to bring back from neglect or obscurity
exhumed a great deal of information from the archives
exhumation noun
exhumer
ig-ˈzü-mər How to pronounce exhume (audio)
igz-ˈyü-
iks-ˈ(h)yü-
noun

Examples of exhume in a Sentence

the remains of John Paul Jones were exhumed in Paris and transported with great ceremony to the U.S. Naval Academy
Recent Examples on the Web Separately, investigators also exhumed two other bodies in the village and announced the results of pretrial investigations into their deaths. Oleksandr Chubko Mauricio Lima, New York Times, 10 May 2024 The woman’s body, however, was exhumed in 2009 in hopes of identifying her, deputies said. Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024 Israel denies wrongdoing but acknowledges exhuming bodies that had already been buried, then reburying them, in its search for hostages taken captive into Gaza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2024 At least one of the bodies exhumed since Sunday was seen wearing blue medical scrubs in a video posted to social media by a photographer, Haseeb Alwazeer. Riley Mellen, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024 Two decades-old cold cases, one out of Colorado and another out of Nevada, were closed after exhuming a suspect’s body, officials say. Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2024 In lieu of exhuming the body, the Moore family decided on having a memorial without the body on October 20. Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 29 Nov. 2023 Authorities exhumed Tammy Daybell without telling children Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 2024 Investigators later exhumed her body and conducted an autopsy that ruled it a homicide. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exhume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin exhumare, from Latin ex out of + humus earth — more at ex-, humble

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhume was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near exhume

Cite this Entry

“Exhume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhume. Accessed 16 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

exhume

verb
ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm How to pronounce exhume (audio)
iks-ˈ(h)yüm
exhumed; exhuming
: to remove from a place of burial
exhumation noun

Medical Definition

exhume

transitive verb
exhumed; exhuming
: disinter
the body was exhumed for an autopsy

More from Merriam-Webster on exhume

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